Tesla finally delivers its first electric semi-trucks, three years late

The electric long-hauler was first announced in 2017 and was supposed to enter production in 2019, but it was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a global parts shortage.

The first Tesla Semi trucks were delivered to customers on Thursday, five years after they were first revealed, at an event at the company's Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada.

The trucks, which were first shown in concept form in 2017, were supposed to go into production in 2019, but were pushed back due to a variety of factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a global parts shortage. PepsiCo representatives, who reserved 100 Semis shortly after their announcement, were on hand to receive the first batch of trucks.

According to Tesla, the Semi is powered by four independent motors on the rear axles, has a 0-60mph acceleration time of 20 seconds, and a battery range of up to 500 miles. Prices may begin at $150,000, and orders from companies such as Walmart and FedEx have been placed in the low dozens.

“It looks sick.”

Musk spoke on a stage flanked by four Tesla Semis, two of which were wrapped in Pepsi and Frito Lay logos, about the need to reduce the amount of carbon emissions produced by the transportation of goods around the world. But, after giving lip service to the mission of combating climate change, he quickly shifted to his signature brand of showmanship.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on stage at the event, "It looks sick." "You want to drive that. I mean, that thing looks like it came from the future." "I mean, that thing appears to be from the future." Musk later described the Semi as "a beast."

Musk listed a number of features that he claims will make the Semi the most efficient, desirable, and driveable truck on the market. The truck will have a new 1,000-volt powertrain architecture, which Musk said will be used in future Tesla product development. The Semi is equipped with traction control to prevent jackknifing, regenerative braking to improve battery efficiency, and an automatic clutch for smooth highway driving.

“It’s a step-change in technology in so many ways,” Musk said.

Musk revealed over the weekend that one of Tesla's battery-powered class 8 semi-trucks had completed a 500-mile trip while carrying 81,000 pounds of cargo. The journey began in Fremont, California, and ended in San Diego, California's southernmost city. Musk stated at the event that the trip was completed without the need to recharge the battery.

Is a Tesla truck required in the world?

Tesla is positioning the Semi as the truck of the future. However, while the company has struggled to begin production, the rest of the trucking industry has already embraced EVs. Electric long-haulers are being developed by major equipment manufacturers such as Daimler, Volvo, Peterbilt, and BYD. According to Bloomberg, the Tesla Semis delivered today were the final piece of a $30.8 million project partially funded by the California Air Resource Board. Even Nikola Motors, which has dealt with allegations of fraud and executive turnover, has delivered a hydrogen-powered truck ahead of Tesla.

Nonetheless, battery-powered electric vehicles will face significant challenges before they can be widely adopted, ranging from weight restrictions to the availability of convenient charging stations. Truck stops, for example, are woefully unprepared to meet the power requirements of electric tractor-trailers and their massive batteries.

Bill Gates stated two years ago that "even with significant advances in battery technology," electric vehicles were simply not ready to tackle long-haul trucking. "Electricity works when you need to cover short distances, but we need a different solution for heavy, long-haul vehicles," Gates wrote. (Of course, Musk's response to Gates was to post crude memes on Twitter.)

During the event, Musk spoke about charging, revealing that Tesla has developed a new liquid-cooled charging connector capable of delivering 1 megawatt of direct current power. "It’s going to be used for Cybertruck, too," Musk added to applause from the audience. (The similarly delayed Cybertruck is set to enter production in the second half of 2023.) He also mentioned the need to decouple Tesla's Superchargers from the grid in order for them to continue delivering power during an outage.

Trucks are an important part of Musk's "Master Plan Part Deux," in which he pledged to expand the company's vehicle lineup to "cover the major forms of terrestrial transport," including a semi truck.

During the event, Musk discussed Tesla's current product lineup, which has been criticised as stale in comparison to other automakers that release refreshed versions of previous models on a regular basis. Standing in front of a rendering of Tesla's vehicle lineup, which includes the upcoming Cybertruck and a shrouded vehicle labelled "robotaxi," Musk stated that Tesla was not like other automakers.

"So what’s our actual mission? Our actual mission is to accelerate the advent of sustainable energy," "Our actual mission is to hasten the adoption of sustainable energy," Musk stated. "So that’s why we’re making this wide range of cars that don’t really make sense from a brand standpoint."